Erotic Topic: Contraception choices abundant

Diverting the stork doesn’t have to be all about pills and condoms as long as you’re prepared to get down and dirty with a few tricks and little risk.

We all know from our overwhelmingly educational high school health classes that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective form of birth control.

However, common sense tells us anyone looking into birth control most likely isn't intending to stay sex-free. Thus, if you’re not planning on having intercourse any time soon, read no further—congratulations, you’ve found your perfect method.

For the rest of us, other forms of behavioral birth control do exist.

Before I continue, though, I must stamp my words with a big fat disclaimer: Behavioral birth control is nowhere near as effective as other forms of contraception. So now those ready to accuse me of endorsing reckless sexual behavior can calm down.

The first form of behavioral birth control I’ll discuss is one step beyond abstinence: outercourse. Outercourse entails any act of sex play from manual stimulation to oral or anal sex, just as long as that locked-and loaded penis stays out of the vagina.

Outercourse is nearly 100 percent effective; it is possible one little batch of sperm could wiggle its way up from the outside in (with a disturbing amount of bad luck).

Some couples might find outercourse painstaking because it denies perhaps the single most desired sexual event. However, one unique advantage to outercourse is it can actually improve the intimacy of the sexual experience by making it last longer.

Drawing out the action may also add to the built up of a more intense orgasm. Outercourse is purely about the tease, and tease surely does make for a fantastic finale.

However, the risk of outercourse is this: Due to its foreplay-like nature, it can often just lead right to intercourse.

Legs will tangle, clothes will slide away, and what starts out as harmless grinding could turn into full-blown vaginal penetration. All it takes is a little slip.

Oops. Too late now?

No.

If slippage does occur, there is still hope. One more behavioral method could possibly prevent pregnancy.

According to Planned Parenthood’s website, withdrawal, or the pull-out method, is 73-96 percent effective, ranging from typical to perfect use. However, it does require a vast amount of self-control, experience and trust.

The man must know exactly when he’s going to ejaculate and have the will to pull out before he does. The woman must also trust in his ability and his honesty to admit his miscalculation if he doesn’t pull out in time, so she knows whether or not she should go get that dreaded morning-after pill.

Experience is the only way partners can build withdrawal skill and trust. If you two are working toward the confidence to solely rely on the pull-out method, I’d recommend using another form of contraception while practicing.

Guys, this form of birth control is all on you. Besides taking care to familiarize yourself with your stages of climax, you can do a few other things to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the withdrawal method.

To decrease the possibility of some leftover sperm from a previous ejaculation hitching a ride with pre-ejaculate fluid, men can develop the habit of urinating between orgasms, which can help clear the urethra of sperm and thus improve the effectiveness of the pull-out method.

Men should also take care to aim their ejaculation away from the vulva. Pregnancy is still possible from such spillage.

Ladies, only until you witness first-hand that your man can consistently, time and again, control himself should you trust the pull-out method as a reliable form of contraception.

Also, don’t agree to rely on the withdrawal method unless you are completely comfortable with your partner and the decision. Above all, trust your instincts.

While other forms of contraception might sport more comforting effectiveness percentages, behavioral methods are always an option when no other form of birth control is available. They're also free of costs and side effects, convenient and fun.

However, those solely relying on behavioral birth control should tread cautiously. If or when that slip-up (or slip in) occurs, the risk of pregnancy is very real. I, personally, am much more confident in the consistency of birth control science rather than the reliance on human willpower.

Therefore, only those with willingness to experiment, strong self-control and non-impulsive personalities should consider using behavioral methods as birth control. Deciding to rely on behavioral birth control might seem adventurous, but the result of a failure is drastic.

Behavioral birth control is only one of many types of contraception available. Future columns will feature more information and advice about other birth control strategies.

If you have any comments or questions about behavioral birth control or other types of contraception, visit Erotic Topic’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/EroticTopic or send an email to erotictopic@gmail.com.

Katie McKellar
- Katie McKellar, Features Editor for Dixie Sun News, is a senior communication major from Sandy whose passions lie in writing and riding (news writing and horseback riding, specifically.) She has interned as a full-time reporter at Deseret News and part time at the Utah Farm Bureau. Photography also runs in her blood, thanks to her photojournalist father. In her free time, she's the single mother of a mustang named Dusty and looks way too small in her Dodge Ram 2500.